City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Austin | Urbandale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,108/mo | 39.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $298,500 | 54.6% higher in A |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $111,888 | 22.6% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 95.2 | 94.5 | 0.8% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 85.9 | 86.7 | 1.0% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.5 | 94.1 | 3.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 95.8 | 94.8 | 1.1% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Austin, you'd need $85,011 in Urbandale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Urbandale, IA is about 15% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 29% lower in Urbandale than in Austin. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $68,009 in Urbandale to keep the same standard of living.